~Chapter 9~
Meeting and Passing
(originally posted June 28, 2007)

Jim stretched out his long legs in front of him.  He was glad he had decided to splurge for a change and upgrade to first class.  It had been a long flight home and he still had a two-hour drive ahead of him once they got into Albany.

He waved off the stewardess who was offering refills and gave her a friendly smile.  He noticed the assessment she gave him, and the dimples on her cheeks when she smiled flirtatiously at him, but he merely closed his eyes and leaned his head back, hoping to get a few more minutes sleep before they landed.

************************************************ 

Trixie anxiously twisted and untwisted her purse strap.  Why was there so much traffic this time of night?  The cab inched along the highway until it got clear of the bottleneck, then shot ahead with an impatient burst of speed, as if Trixie were channeling all her energies into the small yellow vehicle.

The driver glanced up into his rearview mirror.  The young blond woman didn’t have a bag, so she must be going to meet somebody, he presumed.  She seemed jittery.  He hoped she made it in time.  Seeing a clear lane, he darted over to it and drove a little faster.

*********************************************** 

The six young cadets stood nervously at the gate waiting to board.  Though they were dressed in street clothes and had been told by their instructors to be “at ease”, they were eager to please their superior officers and remained alert to anything they might request.

Sergeant Baldwin noticed that Cadet Mangan seemed more on edge than the other cadets this evening.  He had been involved in a dispute two weeks ago and was lucky he hadn’t lost his right to go on this trip.  Perhaps he was overly anxious to make a better impression this time around.

The young man had sharp instincts and a good work ethic.  Sergeant Baldwin had a feeling he was going to be an outstanding officer.  He walked over and slapped him on the back.  “Relax, Mangan.  You’re not on duty.”

Dan gave him a half-smile.  “Yes, sir,” he answered hoarsely.

************************************************

The cab turned right into the long boulevard that led to the airport terminal.  Floodlights scanned the dark sky from left to right and back again.  A parking garage was lit up with car headlights trying to find their way in or out of the maze.  Every few minutes a plane could be seen cutting through the darkness to land or take off or taxi down a runway.

A shuttle bus pulled out slowly in front of the cab, trying to maneuver around the tight corner from the overflow parking lot.  Trixie bounced impatiently on the seat of the cab, clutching the door handle.  She felt like jumping out and running past the bus and up to the terminal herself.  Instead, she checked her watch again and fumbled in her purse for her cell phone.  She hastily hit the speed dial button she wanted. 

“We’re sorry.  The cellular phone you are trying to reach is either temporarily out of service or is not currently within the network.  Please try again later.”

“Damn it!” Trixie cursed for the second time that day.

“Don’t worry, miss.  We’re almost there,” the cab driver soothed.

************************************************

Jim flipped open his cell phone.  Immediately, he felt a soft touch on his arm. It was the cute, strawberry blond flight attendant from before. 

“I’m sorry, sir.  Use of any electronics is prohibited during our approach and landing.”

“Sorry,” Jim answered with a guilty smile.  He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket.  The flight attendant smiled back and walked off.  This time Jim turned his head to watch her as she went up the aisle, admiring her petite figure.

************************************************

“So, Danny,” joshed one of the other cadets, “How come your girl’s not here to see you off?”

Dan blushed and mumbled, “She’s got finals this week,” hoping Aidan would drop the subject.  He pulled out his cell phone to see if Trixie had left him a message.  He had purposely left the phone buried at the bottom of his duffel bag all weekend in Sleepyside while he was visiting Uncle Bill and Mr. Maypenny. 

“Shiiii-,” he grumbled before glancing up guiltily to see if his instructors had overheard him.  The battery was dead.  He had forgotten to recharge it.

************************************************

Trixie was out of the cab before it even pulled up to the curb.  She hastily pulled a few bills out of her wallet and tossed them to the cab driver shouting, “Keep the change!” over her shoulder as she ran towards the terminal entrance.

“Whoever he is, he is one lucky fella,” the driver remarked to no one in particular, as he watched the pretty girl with the blond curls race inside.

Trixie’s eyes darted left and right, looking for the nearest Arrival/Departure monitors.  Please, God!  Please let it be delayed.  Please let him still be here.  She found a monitor by Baggage Claim, took a quick glance around at the people waiting to pick up their bags, then looked up at the monitor for the flight she needed.  Nothing indicated any delays.  She checked her watch again and moved off quickly towards the concourse.

************************************************

“Ladies and gentlemen, Flight 8045 to Washington Dulles International will be boarding momentarily.  All first-class passengers, and those with young children or who may need additional assistance, may come forward to pre-board now.”

Dan stood up to stretch his legs and go stand by the window.  There wasn’t much to see from this vantage point, but it was better than making small talk with his classmates.  He stuck his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.  Pulling out the dead cell phone, he stared at it savagely with his dark eyes, trying to will it to turn on.

He turned around to scan the area.  He wondered if he had time to run to a pay phone and make a call.  Yeah, right.  What would he say in two minutes?  Assuming he could get a hold of her...assuming she would even speak to him.  Giving up, he turned back to the window and watched the ground crew as they made their final inspection of the commuter jet.

************************************************

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but only ticketed passengers are allowed beyond this point,” said the security officer.

“But it’s really important.  And it will only take a minute,” Trixie pleaded.  She wished she had Honey’s sweet persuasiveness or Di’s unfailing sex appeal.

“Sorry, ma’am.  You’ll just have to wait in Baggage Claim.”

Trixie set her jaw and turned around resolutely.  She didn’t want to wait in Baggage Claim.  She wanted to go to the gates.  Hoping she wasn’t being a complete fool, she ran to the monitors again, noted a specific flight that was leaving within the hour and ran to the nearest ticket agent.  Fingers crossed that her last-minute purchase wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion, she pulled out her credit card and bought a ticket.

************************************************

Jim reached into the overhead compartment and pulled down his carry-on.  Then he reached back up and pulled down a small, overstuffed suitcase and handed it to the older woman next to him.  She smiled appreciatively.

There was a small delay as a man in a wheelchair received assistance as he disembarked.  Jim smiled at the pretty stewardess near the door and took careful note of her name tag.  “Thank you, Traci,” he said as he passed her.

“You’re welcome.  I hope you had a nice flight.”

“Very nice.  I only wish you had door-to-door service.  I’ve got another couple of hours to go,” he grinned ruefully.

************************************************

Just as Dan was thinking that they had been waiting for a long time to board, a young mother with a toddler and an infant came off the plane, followed by other passengers Dan had already seen board.

The p.a. crackled, “I’m sorry ladies and gentlemen.  There will be a short delay before we can leave.  Thank you for your patience.”

“Short delay?” growled Master Sergeant Spencer.  “That’s why everybody’s getting off the plane?  We’re looking at an hour, minimum,” he predicted pessimistically.

Dan sighed, then looked over at the bank of pay phones some 50 feet away.  He wondered if he might be allowed to go make a phone call while they waited.

************************************************

The security officer at the checkpoint did a double take.  He would almost swear this was the pretty blond girl he had turned away just minutes ago.  But that delicate looking pixie had wide, pleading eyes as blue as a clear mountain lake.  This little dynamo standing before him had her chin thrust out in determination and her eyes were an unyielding steel-blue.  She held up her ticket and dared him to turn her away again.

With a curt but respectful nod, he waved her through.  She put her purse on the conveyor belt, walked calmly through the metal detector, and retrieved her purse on the other side.  Then she bolted down the concourse, looking for Gate C1.

************************************************

Jim was considering asking the stewardess for her phone number, when it suddenly hit him why he was interested in her.  Blond curly hair, cerulean blue eyes, dimples.  He berated himself harshly.  Jeepers!  Even her name was similar to Trixie’s.  He had to face reality.

He came down the boarding bridge into the airport and headed for Baggage Claim.  He wished he had just taken his carry-on to Houston.  He didn’t feel up to the interminable wait before luggage started slowly parading around the carousel.  He reached the end of the hall and turned right into the main concourse.

************************************************

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you will please bear with us, we are going to move you right next door, where a replacement aircraft will be waiting.  We will begin pre-boarding momentarily.”

Passengers sighed and groaned, picking up their bags and moving over to the neighboring gate.  It's going to be a long night, Sergeant Baldwin thought.  Cadet Mangan came over to him, his duffel bag flung over his shoulder.  “Sir, would it be all right if I took just a minute to make a phone call?”  He indicated the pay phones on the other side of the hall.  “My cell is dead.”

“Go ahead, Mangan.  But make it snappy.”

“Thank you, sir.”  He hurried over to the phones, dug out a quarter, and shoved it in the slot.  His fingers were poised over the buttons when he suddenly realized that he had no idea what her cell phone number was.  He cursed.the man who invented speed dial and slammed down the receiver.  Shoulders slumped, he returned to where his classmates were waiting to board.

************************************************

Trixie sprinted past U.S. Airways, Delta, Northwest, checking each sign that hung over her head for the correct gate number.  She was nearing the end of the concourse.  Southwest Airlines was just ahead – Gates C2 and C3.  Where was C1?

She spun around and grabbed the nearest uniformed person she could find.  “Gate C1?” she asked frantically. 

The janitor pointed back up the concourse.  “That’s Continental, lady.  Back up there at the end of that hall.  Just keep following the A’s.  C1 is at the end of the wing.”  Before he had finished, Trixie was gone.

A1...A1a...A2.  Trixie hoped the janitor wasn’t working his first day at the airport.  This didn’t look right.  Then she saw it, Gate C1.  Heart racing, she turned into the waiting area and looked around.  There were only a couple of people still there.  The plane was still connected to the boarding bridge, but there didn’t seem to be any activity around the door.  She was too late.

She looked up at the board above the check-in desk.  She looked back down the hallway.  Maybe she could still catch him.  Taking a deep breath, but only able to muster up a slow jog this time, she ran back down the hallway.

************************************************

Jim decided he’d better stop at one of the cafes on the way to Baggage Claim and get a cup of coffee.  Otherwise, he’d never make the drive back to Indian Lake without falling asleep.  He checked his watch.  Almost right on time.  He was thankful for that at least.  Hopefully, he’d get home before 10:30.

As he stood in line waiting to order, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and turned it on.  He wanted to check his voicemail before he hit the road.

“Please call me.  We have to talk.”

Jim’s heart pounded.  Trixie.  He wondered if he should drive by her place before he went home, or if he should just call her like she asked.

“What’ll ya have?” the harried woman behind the counter asked for the second time.  A couple of people behind him in line grumbled.

Jim shook his head.  “Sorry.  One large coffee, black.”  He shut his phone and fished in his pocket for some change.

************************************************

The young mother and her two small children headed down the jet-way towards the plane with the other pre-boarding passengers.  The instructors and cadets from the New York Police Academy would be boarding soon.

Dan leaned over to pick up his bag.  He straightened and looked distrustfully out the window at their new aircraft before joining the line of passengers ready to embark.  He hoped this one was going to be all right.  Mechanical problems.  His two least favorite words.  Dan wasn’t a big fan of flying.

************************************************

Trixie turned to her right.  She scanned the crowd.  There he was.  Standing in line.  She hadn’t missed him after all.  She thanked Fate quickly and with her heart in her throat, shouted his name.

He turned when he heard his name.  He looked around and then his eye caught hers.  For a moment, she couldn’t move.  She stood frozen to her spot, waiting for him to react.  A slow smile spread over his face and his eyes lit up.  He dropped his bag and moved towards her.  Holding back a sob, Trixie tried to push through the crowd.  It stubbornly refused to part for her.  Climbing on top of a bank of seats, she hurtled across it and into his waiting arms.  She clung to him, legs around his waist as he buried his face into her soft, blond curls.  “Trixie, Trixie.  I’m so sorry.”

”I am too.  I never wanted to hurt you, Dan.  You are more important to me than anything else in this world.  I love you...with ALL of my heart.  I love you.  I love you.  I love you.”  And she continued whispering those words as they kissed each other repeatedly, oblivious to the crowd around them.